The Christina Grillo Sullivan Foundationhttps://thechristinasullivanfoundation.org
Assisting Children and Adults with Intellectual and Physical ChallengesFri, 17 Mar 2017 00:01:53 +0000en-US
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3232Continuing in Faith…The Journey To Opening An Angel’s Foundationhttps://thechristinasullivanfoundation.org/continuing-faith-journey-opening-angels-foundation/
https://thechristinasullivanfoundation.org/continuing-faith-journey-opening-angels-foundation/#respondThu, 02 Feb 2017 17:25:56 +0000https://thechristinasullivanfoundation.org/?p=1101The “Nina Moments“ leading up to the opening of her foundation have been at times spiritually unbelievable…except for continued faith. Please allow me to share with you these Nina Moments.

Our foundation, honoring our daughter and sister, started out as a plan, but whose plan? Our Christina went to heaven unexpectedly. The grief for our family was unbearable, as it is for anyone who loses a loved one.

Father Jude (Center)

Nina Moment… Father Jude, was the celebrant for the Celebration of Christina’s Life. I had told him when my grief was so unbearable that a yellow butterfly would appear out of nowhere he told me that Our Heavenly Father allows our loved ones to come through the veil to try and bring comfort because they see our sadness. I told him, “We are lost Father Jude,” he told me “Josephine, you must listen, for our Heavenly Father will tell you what your next journey will be.” I can’t tell you how I held those words close to my aching mom heart in FAITH that He would and through Nina Moments, Our Heavenly Father did.

Nina Moment… Barely six months had passed since Christina had gone to heaven, that my caring neighbor and friend Sue Winegarden sent me an email telling me about Grief Share at Moody Methodist Church. It’s a special weekly support group for people grieving the death of a loved one. There I met Larry & Kerrie Highley church members of Moody Methodist they themselves had lost their beautiful daughter, Emily. Together they are an amazing blessed couple that opened their hearts to those seeking comfort.

I am not one for support groups even when Nina was born, but I had reached the point of feeling like I was crawling out of my skin with desperation just to see her to touch her to just to wake up and this not be happening. What an amazing gift Sue gave to me. It is a 13 week session a place where you can be around people who understand the pain of a loss. They are held throughout the US, Canada and in over 10 other countries. To learn more, go to griefshare.org. Maybe by sharing this information with you can in turn can help someone else.

Nina Moment… I met a woman who had lost her mother, and after the group session she came up to me and I hugged her and not long after we were crying and amidst the tears she told me that her granddaughter was much like Christina, and she was about to lose SSI and her daughter didn’t know what she was going to do. I pushed her away with a smile on my face, wiped away my tears and said with a smile “I can help you with that!” Another Nina Moment. So, I drove home a little faster, rushing to tell Craig of the “aha” moment that had been given to me that night by our Heavenly Father. He had that look in his eyes like “Oh know now what is she thinking”. I told him, who of all people could help others in need of compassion dealing with a loved one who requires so much and with everything we endured making sure she had all she needed in her almost 33 years of her precious life. We were listening and so the journey began…

Nina Moment… Weeks had gone by and were on our usual run and walk on the Seawall. Before we had gotten out of the car we both started crying. When I got back in the car Craig hadn’t made it back yet I was looking out over the gulf waters and started yelling at the top of my lungs, calling out for my daughter, “Where are you, Mommy? Daddy and I are lost.” That same day, we had to hurry back home, because Gloria, lovingly known as Glowi (started out as caregiver, then became a loving second mom and a loving member of our family for over 27 years) was picking up a wheelchair of Nina’s that we were donating to a family.

As we started to place the wheelchair in her car she began to cry. In consoling her, I began to cry, Craig put his arms around us and soon we were all in tears. Craig said, “Nina, is watching over us always.” Gloria wiped away her tears, closed the hatch and said, “Sissy, look up!” I looked up! Above us floated a set of clouds in the shape of an angel. It was actually saying to us, I am happy & I am okay, and I am watching over you all. Spiritually it was overwhelming, the sign we had been given that day. Another Nina Moment… from this blessed event came the strokes of creative love from her brother Christian. He took the angel cloud and the yellow butterfly that is now his sister’s foundation’s logo.

Nina Moment… Time passed and our son was having an art showing for Art Walk in Galveston. The Garrison Family Bill, Kristie & Billy a very special family that when we moved back to Galveston made us feel very loved and welcomed us into their family, brought some of their friends along. She said, “Beep, you remember Lissette we all went to school together at O’Connell.” It was so good to see her again and to meet her husband, Tony. He came up to
me, and we just started talking about Christina, I wanted to share everything that had happened from the yellow butterflies appearing in places she had once been—twice on the handicap railing where she once sat at TCU’s stadium, where she attended football games with her family, and once inside the passenger window of Craig’s car—to the woman at grief share and her granddaughter, and taking out my phone, I showed him the angel cloud that appeared in the sky. All of these were Nina Moments. I then said to him, we are trying to build a foundation that assists brain-injured children, adults and their families. He looked at me and he said, “Beep, I’m an attorney and I would like our firm (McLeod, Alexander, Powell and Apffel. PC) to file a 501(c)3 Non-profit for you, Craig and Christian honoring Christina, pro-bono.” I was speechless immediately thinking it was my beautiful daughter again; I was overjoyed just so thankful for Tony Brown’s incredible Act of Kindness to a complete stranger.

Nina Moment… The next step was to go to his office and sign papers. He said a CPA by the name of Ann Masel wanted to talk to us about offering her services. She told us about her husband, who was very interested in what we had to offer to brain injured individuals because he is Dr. Brent Masel a Neurologist who founded the Transitional Learning Center in 1982 with The Non-Profit Moody Foundation, which deals with acute brain injury after Moody’s son, Russel Moody, was involved in a serious motor-vehicle accident that resulted in a brain injury. Currently, Dr. Brent Masel is part of the staff at University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) and is also the National Medical Director for the Brain Injury Association of America. Craig, Christian and I met with him on several occasions about the foundation and it’s mission to help severely brain injured individuals and their families. Another Nina Moment…

We are honored that Dr. Masel is a member of the board of directors of the Christina Grillo Sullivan Foundation.

The Christina Grillo Sullivan Foundation is a “Network of Guardians for Hope & Guidance” Assisting Individuals with brain injury their families and care givers in all fifty states providing them with a network of resources and hope.

Although she is not with us here on this earth she is all around us through the lives she continues to touch through her foundation. I reflect back to what our dear friend Brother Al of the Catholic Marianist Order spiritually said, “Instead of praying for Christina… We now can pray to her.” I will always keep an open heart and watch for the next Nina Moment.

He will give them to you, all your needs, if you give Him first place in your life as He wants you to…Matthew 6:33,34

I have been longing to tell you of the night we arrived in Lourdes France after the evening vigil of the rosary to Our Lady of Lourdes. I was so emotional, so overwhelmed, standing on holy ground and fulfilling my promise to the Blessed Mother after 32 years at the time Nina was born. So many people from so many walks of life gathered together and with each Hail Mary said I would cling to Christina weeping longing for a miracle as I had prayed for her entire precious life. After the rosary was said in many languages a lady came up to me from the crowd. She looked like my grandma (my little nana) but dark skinned and weathered, her face told a story of concern but was also one that showed love and compassion. She had a dark scarf on her head tied under her chin. She must have seen me crying over Nina holding on to her while praying. Christina was smiling she was so happy. This lady came towards me, reached up and placed her hand on the side of my face. As my tears fell down against her hand I felt an amazing sense of peace, one I had longed for for so many years. All my worry and motherly concern of watching my child suffer for so many years just went away. I felt that she understood. She just looked at me, her eyes saying, “I know your pain.” No words were ever spoken, she just looked at me, holding my face in her hand ever so gently. I had closed my eyes, taken a deep breath and when I opened my eyes the lady was gone. I thought nothing of it, just a kind old woman who saw me crying over my child and was giving me comfort. When we had come back from our amazing adventure over seas, a joyous family trip of a lifetime, we started sharing pics with family and friends and I would always mention this kind lady that came up to me in the crowd while praying the rosary. I remember my childhood friend Nancy as we sat in the family room watching pics go by. She had tears in her eyes and said, “My prayers were for you for your healing.” I told her I did find peace there, telling her about the lady that was so kind and comforting.

Three days before Christina went to be with Our Heavenly Father the lady came to me in my dreams. I was so confused as to why I would be thinking of her image. I mentioned it to my sisters, sending text messages talking to my mom just trying to make sense of it all. I told Craig and he said, “What lady?” I responded, befuddled, “The lady that came up to me after the rosary at Lourdes.” He shook his head and said, “I didn’t see her honey.” That morning, the day of her passing when we were rushing her to the hospital, I said, “Honey, the lady, she’s here to take Christina Home…I believe it’s The Blessed Mother.” Craig told me to tell her to go away, saying, “I am not ready for her to go,” while tears rushed down his face. The feeling that came over me at that moment was one of peace, just as I had felt in Lourdes. After speaking with clergy of the experience, I was crying tears of Joy just knowing that Christina was not alone and that she went with The Blessed Mother to Heaven and that She would love and care for her now. Even now I tell her, “I can just see you still so beautiful smiling that smile that would light up my heart, but this time you are free from your wheelchair and running into the arms of Our Lord…”

Excerpt from “For the Love of Christina”

I miss you so my Christina not one moment of the day goes by that I don’t think of you and your smile …my mom heart aches …but I pray one day is to be worthy of The Kingdom of Heaven to see the face of Jesus and for you to greet me with open arms and to hear your sweet voice whisper the word mom that I have longed to hear I love you with all of heart …Until then my sweet angel of God, Mom.

Please Click The Image Above to hear more about how Our Lady of Lourdes intercedes in our daily lives.

Prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes

Oh ever immaculate Virgin, Mother of Mercy, Health of the Sick, Refuge of Sinners, Comfortess of the Afflicted, you know my wants, my troubles, my sufferings. Look upon me with mercy. When you appeared in the grotto of Lourdes, you made it a privileged sanctuary where you dispense your favors, and where many sufferers have obtained the cure of their infirmities, both spiritual and corporal. I come, therefore, with unbounded confidence to implore your maternal intercession. My loving Mother, obtain my request. I will try to imitate your virtues so that I may one day share your company and bless you in eternity. Amen.

We call «Message of Lourdes» the gestures and words that were exchanged between Virgin Mary and Bernadette Soubirous, at the Grotto of Massabielle, during the time of the eighteen apparitions. This message can be heard as: God is love and he loves us as we are.

Lourdes in the 19th. Century was one of the main places in the district with more than 4,000 inhabitants including nobles, notaries, advocates, doctors, officers as well as manual workers, tradesmen, slate workers, small artisans such as millers. Mills were plentiful; many were dotted around outside the town, along one of the streams that flowed into the Gave – the Lapacca. Bernadette Soubirous was born in one of these, the Boly Mill, on 7th. January 1844. The bankrupt family were living in the Cachot.
On 11th. February 1858 Bernadette, her sister Toinette and a friend of theirs, Jeanne, went looking for wood on the meadows and led towards “the place where the canal rejoins the River Gave”. They were in front of the Grotto of Massabielle. Toinette and Jeanne crossed the icy water, crying out with the cold; Bernadette hesitated to do this because of her chronic asthma. She heard “a noise like a gust of wind”, but “none of the trees were moving”. “Raising her head, she saw, in a hollow of the rock a small young lady, who looked at her and who smiled at her. This was the first Apparition of the Virgin Mary

At the time of Bernadette, the Grotto was a dirty, hidden, damp and cold place. The Grotto was called the “pigs’ shelter” because that was where the pigs feeding in the area usually took shelter. It was there that the Virgin Mary, dressed in white, a sign of total purity, the sign of the Love of God, in other words, the sign of what God wishes to accomplish in each of us, deigned to appear. There is a contrast between this damp and obscure Grotto and the presence of the Virgin Mary, “the Immaculate Conception”. It reminds us of the Gospel: the meeting of the wealth of the goodness of God and the poverty of the human person. “Jesus goes to sit at the table of sinners”, “because he came to search out that which was lost”.

At Lourdes, the fact that Mary had appeared in a dirty and obscure Grotto, in the place called Massabielle, the Old Rock, tells us that God comes to join us where we are, in the midst of our poverty and failures. The Grotto is not only a place where something happened – a geographical place – it is also a place where God gives us a sign by revealing his heart and our heart.
It is a place where God leaves us a message, a message that is nothing other than that of the Gospel. God comes to tell us that he loves us, – this is the heart of the Message of Lourdes, and he loves us as we are with all our successes but also with all our wounds, our weaknesses and our limitations

ON 18TH FEBRUARY 1858 : SOME EXTRAORDINARY WORDS

During the third Apparition on 18th. February, The Virgin Mary spoke for the first time.
Bernadette held out a sheet of paper and a pencil so that she might write down her name, but the Lady replied: “what I have to say to you does not have to be written down”. This was an extraordinary statement. It meant that the Virgin Mary wanted to enter into a relationship which is of the order of love, at the level of the heart. The heart, in the Bible, signifies the very centre of the person, that which is the depth of the person.
Bernadette was right away invited to open the depths of her heart to this Message of Love.

[Lourdes : gemmail représentant une apparition de la Vierge Marie à Bernadette Soubirous] At the second statement of the Virgin Mary: “Would you do me the kindness of coming here for 15 days?” Bernadette was overwhelmed. It was the first time that anyone had addressed her in a formal way. Bernadette describes these words by saying that the Virgin looked at her ‘as one person looks at another person’. Human beings, created in the image and likeness of God, are persons. Bernadette felt that she was also respected and loved, she also had the experience of being a person. We are all worthy of our dignity in the eyes of God. Because each of us is loved by God.

The third statement of the Virgin was: “I do not promise to make you happy in this world but in the other.” We know a world of violence, lies, sensuality, profit, and war. But we know also a world of charity, solidarity, and justice. These two worlds exist on our earth. When Jesus, in the Gospel, invites us to discover the Kingdom of Heaven, he invites us to discover in our world, as it is, “another world”. Wherever love exists, God is present.

GOD IS LOVE

To experience God is nothing other than to experience love in this world. To whoever knows how to discover this, Jesus makes the following promise: “You are not far from the Kingdom of God. That is: “you have known how to discover here below this Kingdom and you have lived out your life in this Love.” This is the promise of the Virgin Mary to Bernadette. “I promise that you will discover here below another world”. And, in spite of her poverty, her illness and her lack of education, Bernadette is always deeply happy. That is the Kingdom of God, the world of real Love.

During the seven first Apparitions of the Virgin Mary, Bernadette has a face radiant with joy, happiness and light. Between the eighth and twelfth Apparitions all changed: the face of Bernadette became hard, sad and sorrowful, and moreover, Bernadette does incomprehensible things. She moves on her knees to the back of the Grotto. She kisses the dirty disgusting ground of the Grotto. She eats some bitter grass. She scrapes the ground three times trying to drink the muddy water, at the back of the Grotto, she tries sucking in a little and then throwing it away, she takes mud in her hands and she smears her face. Then the young girl turns to the crowd with her hands apart. They all say: “She’s mad!” During four Apparitions, she carried out the same actions. What is happening? Nobody understands! We are at the heart of the “Message of Lourdes”.

THE BIBLICAL MEANING OF THE APPARITIONS

These actions are biblical actions. Because “the Lady” asked her, Bernadette acts out the Incarnation, the Passion and the death of Christ. Moving on her knees at the back of the Grotto: this action recalls the Incarnation, God lowers himself to become human. Bernadette kisses the ground showing us that this act of humility is an action of the love God has for his people. Eating bitter grass at the back of the Grotto: when the Jews in the Old Testament wanted to show that God had taken on himself all the bitterness and all the sins of the world, they killed a lamb, cleaned it out and filled it with bitter herbs and then made the following prayer over the lamb “This is the Lamb of God who takes away, who takes on himself, all the bitterness and all the sins of the world.” Smearing her face with mud: when the prophet Isaiah wanted to speak to us about the Messiah he called him “the suffering servant”. “Because he carried on himself all our sins his face no longer appeared human.”He was” Isaiah specifies, “like a lamb led to the slaughter, and on his way the crowd mocked him”. At the Grotto, mud disfigures Bernadette and the crowd cries out “she has gone mad”.

GROTTO’S TREASURE

[Lourdes : la source qui coule dans la Grotte des Apparitions] The actions that Bernadette carried out were the actions of freeing something. The Grotto was choked with grass and mud. But why does she free this Grotto? Because it hides an immense treasure, which must be brought out into the open. Thus, at the ninth Apparition, “the Lady” asked Bernadette to scrape the ground, at the back of this “pigs’ shelter”, saying to her: “Go to the spring, drink of it and wash yourself there”. There is only a little muddy water to begin with, enough for Bernadette to drink. At first this water is muddy and dirty then, little by little, it becomes clear.
By these actions, the mystery of the heart of Jesus is revealed for us: “A soldier pierced his heart with his lance and there immediately flowed out blood and water.” It is, as well, the depths of the mystery of the heart of the human person, created in the image and likeness of God: “The water that I shall give you will become, in you, a spring welling up to eternal life”. The grass and the mud signify the human heart, wounded by sin. But in the bottom of this heart, there is the life of God, as signified by the spring.

Bernadette was asked: ‘Did the Lady say something to you?’ She replied: ‘Yes, now and again she would say: “Penance, penance, penance, pray for sinners”. By penance we understand conversion. Conversion in the Church, as we learn from Christ, involves turning our heart towards God and towards others. “Pray for sinners”. Praying brings us to the Spirit of God. Thus we understand that sin does not make us happy. We must understand that sin is something that is contrary to the love of God that is revealed to us through the Gospel.

During the thirteenth Apparition Our Lady said to Bernadette: “Go, tell the priests to come here in procession and build a chapel here.” “Come here in procession” means always moving, in this life, towards others. “Build a chapel here.” In Lourdes, chapels were built to receive the crowds that came here. But these chapels are only the signs of the communion based on the love to which we are called. The chapel is the “Church” that we want to build where we are, in our family, at our place of work, in our parish, in our diocese. All Christians spend their lives building the Church, living in communion with others.